Ask the Critic: The nasty bits

We’re dealing here with the nasty bits: the offal, the often-maligned parts of cows, pigs and other critters that get thrown aside by more easily grossed-out foodies who think that only the best, most pricey parts of animals are worth sinking their teeth into. Late last week, I heard from…

Free coffee and tea this week at Red Trolley

You know what would make this week infinitely better? Free access to caffeine. And it turns out that Red Trolley, the ritzy ice cream joint at 2639 West 32nd Avenue, agrees. Sign up for Red Trolley’s monthly newsletter on its blog and you’ll get a coupon good for free coffee…

Ted’s Montana Grill goes nutty for apple crisp

You know it’s fall when the Nutty Apple Crisp returns to the Ted’s Montana Grill menu — and this year, corporate chef Chris Raucci is sharing the secrets of the dessert. “Our guests can’t wait for Nutty Apple Crisp to return each year,” he says. “We receive letters and emails…

What are Denver’s most haunted restaurant locations?

Peter Boyles is holding his annual haunted house event at Yak and Yeti, the Nepalese restaurant that took over the former home of the Cheshire Cat Brewpub and Restaurant, at 7803 Ralston Road in Arvada. (There’s a second Yak and Yeti at 8665 Sheridan in Westminster.) The ghosts on Ralston…

Guess where I’m eating?

The Mexican hamburgers at this joint are legendary — as are the chiles relleno, and the green chile that smothers everything in sight. In a town crazy for Mexican food, that’s no tiny achievement. Guess where I’m eating?…

TV or not TV? Sheehan helps cook up a tequila dinner at Mezcal

Last week, I told you about my impending attempt at doing TV and speculated about the potential disasters inherent in anyone allowing me to set foot in their kitchen again after years spent behind a desk. What’s more, I mentioned that anyone who was interested was welcome to come down…

Under Fire: The Dance

Our former Cafe Society intern just decided to chuck college in favor of a real education: as a sous chef. In Under Fire, he chronicles his daily trials and tribulations in the kitchen.In the industry, It’s called “the dance” — the natural reaction that comes from working with the same group of…

Cafe Society: Week in review

What you might have missed this week on Cafe Society while you were carefully crafting your kick-ass crush letter telling us all about your favorite Denver dive-bar: Lobby American Grille general manager Cory Sylvester got more than be bargained for on Tuesday night when a couple of thugs roaming the…

Don’t worry. Be Happy

What’s in a name? Apparently, not that much. Because while Big Red F honcho Dave Query has dropped the “Noodle House” portion of his Happy Noodle House restaurant’s name, the menu hasn’t changed a bit. Okay, maybe it’s changed a bit since I was there last. But then, it’d already…

Cook’s Shelf: Eating Animals

Reading Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma fucked me up good. It changed the way I looked at food forever and seriously altered the way I actually ate. Considering that eating is my vocation, this was no small thing. I have never looked at an ear of corn the same way…

On Havana Street: an international mission

International Restaurant Week will be celebrated in my ‘hood starting tomorrow, the party banging up and down the most interesting mainline it contains: Havana Street. This is the week when everyone is encouraged to get out and get weird, to try something they’ve never tried before, to (occasionally) overpay at…

Help David Sax save the dying deli

For the past several years, deli-obsessed Canadian journalist David Sax has been penning a blog that’s dedicated to preserving the Jewish deli, a “hallowed temple of salted and cured meats” that, Sax kvetches, is “endangered and in need of our support.” To that end, Sax has now written a book…

Fuel fall with Rioja’s new autumn menu

Jennifer Jasinski, chef-owner of Rioja, 1431 Larimer Street, is renowned for both her use of local ingredients and seasonal menu changes. And her most recent iteration, a lovely autumn board of fall vegetables, rustic meats, sweetness and spice, earthiness and comfort, is no exception…

Bitter bartender a contender in Iron Bar Chef Competition

James Lee, mixologist at the Bitter Bar at Happy (known as Happy Noodle House until very recently), is heading from Boulder to New York this weekend, for the annual Santé Restaurant Symposium — where he’ll be competing against against five other bartenders in the Iron Bar Chef contest. The competitors…

Guess where I’m drinking?

There are quite a few things that I look forward to once the weekend rolls around, including football, naps, Pin the Tail on the Pig, toilet papering the neighbor’s house and Bloody Mary bars. And there’s no better Bloody Mary spread in town than the one you see in the…

Denver’s Top Ten Diners

I know from diners; they are my natural habitat. And Colorado has some classics. Johnson’s Corner was one of the first places I visited when I first went west of the Mississippi, and it remains a favorite even post-renovation. My recent meals at Silver Creek Diner got me thinking about…

Cocktailing with Frank Bonanno at Luca

When I interviewed Frank Bonanno for this week’s Chef and Tell Q & A, we hung out in his kitchen at Luca d’Italia, where he totally seduced me by making housemade burrata, arguably the crack cocaine of cheese. One portion was plenty for two (three if you have a skinny…

Under Fire: He walked with that?

​Our former Cafe Society intern just decided to chuck college in favor of a real education: as a sous chef. In Under Fire, he chronicles his daily trials and tribulations in the kitchen. ​Throughout the day, I try to note stuff that might be worth writing about once I get out of the…

Today: Michelangelo’s hosts a wine-tasting

A line-up of Colorado wines, as well as snacks, are on the roster from 5 to 7 p.m. today, October 16, at Michelangelo’s Coffee and Wine Bar, 1 South Broadway. Tickets for the wine-tasting, presented by Sutcliffe Vineyards, are $15 at the door…